Gilmore Foundation
The Gilmore Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation established in 2009 and based in Peoria, Illinois. The foundation supports the development and improvement of the tri-county community encompassing Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties in Illinois. Since its inception, the foundation has distributed over $18 million to local organizations and manages approximately $63 million in assets.
Key facts about Gilmore Foundation
- EIN
- 27-1400179
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,617,232
- Grants made (2025)
- 28
- Average grant
- $129,187
- Median grant
- $50,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (5 of 27, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (90% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Who Gilmore Foundation funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Gilmore Foundation's 28 itemized 2025 grants were Illinois (90%) and California (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Peoria, IL (25 grants) and East Peoria, IL (2 grants). None of its 28 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Local Community Charitable Support" (7 grants) and "Educational Program Support" (3 grants).
Is Gilmore Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 27 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $273K; repeat grants $100K. How we count
Medians: $333K first-time, $44K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). Method
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Gilmore Foundation
- How to evaluate Gilmore Foundation as a funder
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Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$3.6M
-16.7% YoY
Grant Count
28
+12.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$129K
-25.7% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's areas of focus are:
- Culture — enhancing culture related to art, music, dance, history, and theater
- Community Development — improving society through youth development, human services, abuse prevention, education, and shelters
- Economic Development — job creation through capital improvement projects that assist in the development of the community's infrastructure
Grantmaking
The foundation does not operate structured grant programs with specific funding tiers. Instead, grants are awarded based on organizational need and project scope, ranging from moderate multi-year commitments to major one-time transformational gifts.
Grant Range
$50,000 to $1 million+
Average Grant
approximately $91,000
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation's geographic focus is the tri-county area of central Illinois:
- Peoria County
- Tazewell County
- Woodford County
The foundation also supports projects in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 28 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets:
- Total assets: $63.3 million (2023)
- Total assets: $64.3 million (2024)
Annual Activity:
- Total giving: $4.3 million (2024)
- Total giving: $2.3 million (2023)
- Revenue: $5.5 million (2023)
- Expenses: $5.01 million (2023)
- Total liabilities: $0 (2023)
Tax Status:
- 501(c)(3) private foundation
- Tax-exempt since March 2010
- EIN: 27-1400179
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
137 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest recipients include Greater Peoria Leadership Council ($640,000), Univ of Ill College of Medicine-Peoria ($580,785), Peoria Riverfront Museum ($510,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| GREATER PEORIA LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Peoria, IL | MATCHING GIFT/SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONAL MISSIONS | $640,000 |
| UNIV OF ILL COLLEGE OF MEDICINE-PEORIA Peoria, IL | EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM SUPPORT | $580,785 |
| PEORIA RIVERFRONT MUSEUM Peoria, IL | EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT SUPPORT/LSC DESIGNATED/AMERICA250 | $510,000 |
| DAF360 GIVING San Francisco, CA | LOCAL COMMUNITY CHARITABLE SUPPORT | $345,278 |
| ILLINOIS CENTRAL COLLEGE East Peoria, IL | WORKFORCE EQUITY INITIATIVE-HEARTLAND HEALTH START-UP | $333,333 |
| PEORIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Peoria, IL | MUSICAL PROGRAM SUPPORT | $200,000 |
| BRADLEY UNIVERSITY Peoria, IL | EDUCATIONAL/ATHLETICS PROGRAM SUPPORT | $150,000 |
| CENTER FOR PREVENTION OF ABUSE Peoria, IL | LOCAL COMMUNITY CHARITABLE SUPPORT | $150,000 |
| MIDWEST FOOD BANK Peoria, IL | CHARITABLE HUNGER SUPPORT | $100,000 |
| DISTILLERY LABS Peoria, IL | PROGRAM YEAR 1 OF 2 | $80,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Laura Cullinan — President
Board of Directors:
- Douglas Oberhelman — President and Director
- Lawrence Williams IV — Director
- Nathan R. Miller — Director
- Sid Banwart — Director
- Sara Rusch — Director
- Katie McCord Jenkins — Director
- Todd Sheridan — Director
- Jon Michael — Director
- Scott Martin — Director
- Chris Reynolds — Director
All directors serve part-time without compensation.
Founder: Bob Gilmore (1920–2020) established the foundation. A Peoria native and World War II veteran, Gilmore served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Caterpillar Tractor Company from 1977 to 1985. For the last 40 years of his life, he and his foundation quietly supported charities, cultural initiatives, and job creation in Peoria.
Compensation Overview
No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.
From 2025 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Oberhelman | President & Director | 0.5 | — |
| Lawrence Williams IV | Treasurer & Director | 0.5 | — |
| Nathan R Miller | Secretary & Director | 0.5 | — |
| Sid Banwart | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Sara Rusch | Vice President & Director | 0.5 | — |
| Katie McCord Jenkins | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Todd Sheridan | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Jon Michael | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Scott Martin | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Chris Reynolds | Director | 0.5 | — |
Contact Information
Gilmore Foundation 5823 N. Forest Park Drive Peoria, IL 61614 Phone: (309) 685-0033 Fax: (309) 685-3665 Website: www.gilmorefndn.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Gilmore Foundation fund?
The foundation's areas of focus are: 1. **Culture** — enhancing culture related to art, music, dance, history, and theater 2. **Community Development** — improving society through youth development, human services, abuse prevention, education, and shelters 3. **Economic Development** — job creation through capital improvement projects that assist in the development of the community's infrastructure
How do I apply for a grant from Gilmore Foundation?
**Grant Activity:** • Distributes approximately $2.3 million annually • Awards 25–30 grants per year • Grant range: $50,000 to $1 million+ • Average grant size: approximately $91,000 **Grant Structure:** The foundation does not operate structured grant programs with specific funding tiers. Instead, grants are awarded based on organizational need and project scope, ranging from moderate multi-year commitments to major one-time transformational gifts. **Notable Initiative:** The foundation launch…
Where does Gilmore Foundation make grants?
The foundation's geographic focus is the tri-county area of central Illinois: • Peoria County • Tazewell County • Woodford County The foundation also supports projects in New York.
What size grants does Gilmore Foundation award?
In 2025, Gilmore Foundation awarded 28 grants totaling $3.6M — an average of about $129K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is Gilmore Foundation's EIN?
Gilmore Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1400179. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.